In Lisbon, Shopping in the Shadow of History and Rebirth

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The tiny shop of Caza das Vellas Loreto has been selling candles since 1789.CreditCreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

By Trish Lorenz

Oct. 25, 2018

LISBON — With its cobbled lanes, vintage trams and ancient castle, Lisbon oozes history. Its shops, too, offer a glimpse back in time. According to the city council, Lisbon has at least 50 stores that have been serving customers the same products from the same venue for more than 100 years, stores that were open and trading when horses were more common than cars and electric lighting was still a newfangled concept.

Among the oldest is the candle shop Caza das Vellas Loreto, which opened in 1789. It’s a tiny affair, just a bit over 43 square feet, with colorful candles displayed in dark wood cabinets. Alongside regular local patrons, the shop has a growing British, French and American clientele. Margarida Sa Pereira has been working at the store for 30 years. The staff of five makes “95 percent of the candles here,” she said.

The longevity of Caza das Vellas belies the fact that Lisbon’s retail landscape has changed drastically in the last five years. The global financial crisis left deep scars in Portugal: Almost 5 percent of the population, more than 485,000 people, left the country between 2011 and 2014. This was followed by a tsunami of tourism: a 168 percent increase from 2010 to 2016. Tourism has fueled international property speculation, leading to skyrocketing rents, and many stores — particularly those serving the local market — are struggling or have closed.

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Handwoven rugs in A Vida Portuguesa, a small chain selling traditional Portuguese products, including decorative ceramics and handmade notebooks.CreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

Catarina Portas is the founder of A Vida Portuguesa, a small chain selling traditional Portuguese products, such as handwoven rugs, decorative ceramics and handmade notebooks. “You find these same stores in every city around the world and it’s not interesting,” Ms. Portas said. “Our small historic stores are unique, they are part of Lisbon’s charm, so in 2016 we started lobbying the local council to do something to help them to keep trading.”

In response, the council began Lojas com História (Shops With History), which identifies culturally significant stores and offers them both protection from eviction and access to a city council fund to assist with maintenance and restoration.

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Panama hats at Chapelarias Azevedo Rua, which has been a family business for decades.CreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

The program covers about 90 stores, including the hat maker Chapelarias Azevedo Rua, which has been trading for 132 years and is run by Pedro Fonseca, the great-great-grandson of the founder. The store overflows with hats, including regional Portuguese styles, bowlers and a wide selection of Panamas. “Panamas are our best-selling range,” said an assistant. We don’t sell many women’s hats anymore because women also prefer the men’s styles.”

The glove maker Luvaria Ulisses opened in 1925. Proving that size doesn’t matter, this 21-square-foot shop attracts customers from as far afield as Japan and the United States, who wait patiently in the street for their turn at the counter. The store is renowned for its bespoke glove-making service: You can choose between modern or classic styles and customize elements such as the lining (cashmere is worth the investment) or by adding contrast stitching.

Another shop committed to traditional tailoring is the shoe store Sapataria do Carmo. Founded in 1904, the store’s leather shoes are entirely handmade in Portugal and the fitting service is pleasingly traditional, too: As in the annual school shoe fittings of childhood, staff members take their time ensuring a perfect fit in both width and length.

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The grocery and wine store Prado Mercearia, which opened in March, sells local fruit.CreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

An unexpected consequence of the Lojas com História program has been a resurgence of interest in Portuguese tradition among young entrepreneurs. The grocery and wine store Prado Mercearia opened in March. On a recent morning, the store manager, Carlos Duarte, was chatting with a regular customer who popped in to ask a favor — could he leave his house keys at the store so a plumber could pick them up later? — and a local farmer, Adolfo Henriques, was delivering a box of freshly picked figs, so ripe that drops of honey-like nectar were oozing from them.

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Carlos Duarte is the manager at Prado Mercearia.CreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

“Gentrification is a double-edged sword,” Mr. Duarte said. “It’s great that people are investing in the city and repairing buildings, but a lot of local shops have disappeared forever.”

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Companhia Portugueza do Chá in the Santos district offers bespoke tea blends.CreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

Companhia Portugueza do Chá is in a former shoe shop in the Santos district, and its vintage fittings have been restored and repurposed to hold bespoke tea blends. Standouts include a special Lisbon breakfast mix of Azores White and Ceylon teas along with an Earl Gray made with bergamot from rural Portugal. Burel Mountain Originals uses locally sourced, traditionally woven burel wool and works with emerging designers to create shoes, boots, throws and bags. At Cortiço & Netos you’ll find a large selection of colorful 20th-century Portuguese azulejos (tiles) salvaged from former manufacturers. Buy just one as a memento or by the meter for a distinctive interior project.

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Soaps at Claus Porto, which has operated since 1887 but opened its first store in Lisbon only in 2016.CreditDaniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

The Portuguese soap brand Claus Porto has operated since 1887 but opened its first store in Lisbon only in 2016 in Chiado. On the ground floor, you’ll find hand-wrapped soaps, perfumes and scented candles; downstairs hosts the men’s grooming range Musco Real and a classic barber shop: Spend 50 euros and receive a free hot shave from a master barber, Salvador Rodrigues.

The hourlong experience can be the perfect way to end a long shopping day. “I don’t talk when I’m shaving, I don’t want to disturb the person’s relaxation,” Mr. Rodrigues says. “Normally when the hot towel goes on, guys lie back and turn off and they only snap out of it when I apply the cold towel 45 minutes later.”